


A Light in the Room

by sparklingstone



Series: Run to You (fem!Steve 'verse) [3]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Steve is everything, Bisexual!Steve, F/F, F/M, Fem!Steve, Femslash, POV Peggy Carter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-05
Updated: 2014-11-05
Packaged: 2018-02-24 05:54:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2570540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparklingstone/pseuds/sparklingstone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peggy Carter knew she was in way over her head when she started this...thing...with Stevie Rogers. The young woman was so obviously in love with her best friend that it was mind-boggling that the man himself hadn't realized. The problem was, she couldn't bring herself to care. </p>
<p>---<br/>Or: Peggy Carter's story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Light in the Room

**Author's Note:**

> A side story to "I Will Break Down the Gates of Heaven". Don't need to read it, but will make a lot more sense if you do.  
> (My apologies for the angst.)
> 
> Title taken from Pentatonix's "Run To You", as are all other parts of the series.

Peggy Carter knew she was in way over her head when she started this...thing...with Stevie Rogers. The young woman was so obviously in love with her best friend that it was mind-boggling that the man himself hadn't realized. The problem was, she couldn't bring herself to care. 

She had been intrigued from the first moment she set eyes on that slight form, and had been more than intrigued after seeing how Stevie refused to let her body dictate what she tried to do. Peggy knew that she herself wasn't lacking in bravery; signing up, being a woman in the SSR: it was a path not many chose, and for good reasons. Nevertheless, Stevie made her feel almost cowardly in comparison. She carried good qualities almost in overabundance: bravery, loyalty, selflessness... It was no wonder she was chosen for Project Rebirth. She was perfect. 

What Peggy hadn't been expecting was the sudden rush of lust she felt when Stevie emerged from the machine, suddenly taller than her and... She had always been beautiful but now she was just...different. More herself. It was as if all those overabundant qualities finally had the space to live inside her. It was breathtaking. It was addicting. It was almost a relief to get away from her for a while, but then before she knew it, there she was, back again, on the Front now, discouraged and upset in a low cut costume that left too little to the imagination.

Peggy blurted out that she was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. "I mean, you always were, but you weren't wearing those kinds of costumes before..." 

She bit her tongue before she could make a bigger fool out of herself, and then watched, fascinated, as a blush spread down Stevie's cheeks to her neck, down, down... No. She tore her eyes away, but she knew that Stevie has seen. 

And then Stevie was off and away again. It took little convincing to get her and Howard to help her on the rescue mission. Peggy already knew that she would do practically anything for this amazing woman. She was even beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, Stevie could feel the same way. So she flew with her and Howard, watched her blush as she asked about “fondue” (maybe even relished that flash of jealousy in her blue eyes). 

There was a brief time where Peggy thought Stevie could have been dead, and it qualified as one of the worst times in her life, but then she saw her, marching at the front of the long column of freed prisoners, wearing a modified version of her Captain America costume, a bright smile on her face, exhausted but happier than Peggy had ever seen her. She shared a look with the man next to her, dark haired, blue eyed, looking battered and dead on his feet and not quite sure what to make of the changes in his friend. This must be Bucky.

Peggy kissed her that evening. Couldn’t help herself. She was so proud of how far Stevie had come, turning those heroic tendencies into deeds, but she was also suddenly scared of losing her. So she kissed her, and was pleasantly surprised to find Stevie kissing back. 

She was clearly inexperienced, but that didn’t matter. Just as with everything else, Stevie was intoxicating. She allowed herself to get lost in the sensation of Stevie’s mouth on hers, of running her hands through Stevie’s ponytail and down her back, and of Stevie’s hands in turn in her own hair. She forgot that they were both women, that they should have been more careful. At least until they pulled apart and found lipstick smeared all over both their mouths. For some reason, instead of making things awkward, it made everything much more funny, releasing unspoken tension, for which Peggy was grateful. They cleaned each other up, wiping each other’s faces and reapplying the lipstick. Before she left, Peggy gave her another quick peck and ran a hand down Stevie’s cheek. It was warm, still flushed, and heartbreakingly lovely.

That night, Peggy met Bucky properly, and realized just how in over her head she really was. She saw the looks the two of them gave each other; clearly so in love, pining, and not going to do anything about it. Oh, she thought. Who am I to think that I could actually have this? 

If she had been as selfless as Stevie, she would have left her alone, let her figure out her feelings for Bucky. But she found she couldn’t. They snuck away together several times, at night in between Commando missions. Bucky saw them once. Stevie didn’t see, but Peggy did, over her (now much taller) shoulder, saw the brief heartbroken look on his face before something like resignation, and then acceptance…? He nodded at her, gave her a look. Take care of her. That much was clear in his eyes. Peggy didn’t need him to tell her that, but she approved nonetheless. He’d be a good match for Stevie, when they got together. Because she knew it would happen eventually.

Each time they were together Peggy felt like she was trying to cling to waves on the seashore, or to the wind, trying to make a force of nature stand still and stay with her when she knew it couldn’t. It would end one day, but it wouldn’t be her to do the ending. In the meantime, she’d take what she could and find joy in that.

It was like she’d said: she’d known she was in way over her head when she fell in love with Stevie Rogers. But she couldn't say she regretted it.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments of all kinds much appreciated. Thank you for reading!


End file.
